I thought I’d take a break from the same old same, to pass along word of two more projects that I happen to think are awesome.

1) Ace librarian and monster researcher Jess Nevins is looking to follow up his Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana and forthcoming Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes with the Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. Sadly, this is a project which requires extensive research and journeys to strange, exotic places which house the lost treasures of another age. To that end, he’s doing a Kickstarter. He reached his initial goal in twelve hours (the lucky bastard, share some of the love with the rest of us, man) but the more he gets, the more bonuses and premiums he can offer. But you know what? This is going to be the MUST-HAVE item for any truly dedicated fan of comic books, pop culture, or lost ephemera. Jess Nevins is one of the only men alive capable of annotating Alan Moore’s works and not just living, but escaping with his sanity intact. He’s spent untold hours untangling the mysteries of pulp heroes, Golden Age comics, and other weird stuff online, providing invaluable resources for gamers and writers everywhere, and I’m in awe of his work. If you know me at all, you’ll know I’m all over this project.

2) The Future Fire are publishing “a themed anthology of colonialism-themed speculative fiction from outside the first-world viewpoint, co-edited by Fabio Fernandes.” Supporting this anthology allows them to pay their writers professional rates, even as they offer up a collection of stories from viewpoints that don’t always get a lot of spotlight. Sounds like a worthwhile effort to me! $10 gets you the e-book version, and so on and up.

I have no personal stake in either of these efforts, save for the desire to see them succeed and further bring a little more awesomeness into the world.